


Of Course

by mid_sweettalk



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, Unrequited Love, not QUITE unrequited, you'll see just read i promise
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-04
Updated: 2017-06-04
Packaged: 2018-11-09 03:29:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11095950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mid_sweettalk/pseuds/mid_sweettalk
Summary: Of course. Leave it to Lena Luthor to have the kind of luck that has her newly-found mentor betraying her, kidnapping her, and forcing her to marry the prince of Lena’s nightmares—the one currently courting Kara Danvers. As if she hadn’t already had enough trouble throughout her entire life trying to denounce herself of the Luthor brand, she was now being forced to participate in the takeover of the world. Of course.





	Of Course

**Author's Note:**

> SPOILERS FOR 2X21 AND 22. Basically, the last two episodes and after, from Lena's POV.

Of course. Of _course_. Leave it to Lena Luthor to have the kind of luck that has her newly-found mentor betraying her, kidnapping her, and forcing her to marry the prince of Lena’s nightmares—the one currently courting Kara Danvers. As if she hadn’t already had enough trouble throughout her entire life trying to denounce herself of the Luthor brand, she was now being forced to participate in the takeover of the world. Of course.

 

She hated how good the red dress she’d been given looked on her. She hated everything it represented in that moment, and she hated that it was touching her body. If she’d had any say in the matter, however, she never would have picked such a bright red. And the _crown_. Lena rolled her eyes as she glanced at the offending garment in the mirror. How terribly gaudy.

 

When the guards came to retrieve her for the ceremony, she felt her mask slip into place, the one she kept up around people like her mother. She took a deep breath before following them down the hall of the spaceship—and _that_ was taking some getting used to, as well—and into the main chamber. Rhea was waiting for them with a nauseating smirk. One of the guards held out a hand to Lena to escort her to the altar; she could barely hold back an eyeroll as she scoffed, “Yeah, I’m good.”

 

And then, she was holding hands with the one thing that stood between herself and Kara—well, she supposed in this present moment that there were some decidedly larger things standing in her way. As much as she knew and understood that she had to work _with_ this Mon-El, she couldn’t quite quell the slight ache in the pit of her stomach at the physical proximity to him. She shook her head ever-so-slightly to force herself to tune into what the alien woman before her was saying.

 

Right when Lena felt as if she were going to puke, Cat Grant decided to make a surprise reappearance and save her marital status for the time being. She couldn’t help but glance over at Mon-El as they were being escorted back to their chambers, and Lena felt Cat Grant’s words echoing in her ears.

 

The next thing she knew, they were escaping—and rather successfully, at that. When she finally found a purpose for that terrible crown, she stumbled a bit, because Mon-El had gone and said something stupid like, “I see why Kara loves you.” So, of course, Lena had immediately been reminded of the fact that the love she received from Kara was not the kind she wanted. Her jealousy flared, and it was difficult to force herself back into the current moment. She mustered up a, “Likewise,” in return before continuing their escape, telling herself to refocus on the situation.

 

And then Kara showed up, and Lena immediately felt that stupid, dopey smile that she always got around Kara take over her face—but then Mon-El was stepping forward, and Kara wasn’t paying attention to her anymore. Lena’s expression fell quickly. She saw Kara glancing back and forth between the two of them like a confused puppy.

 

“Uh, Kara Danvers sent me to get you,” Kara rushed to explain.

 

Surprisingly, the words weren’t what broke Lena; it was the way Kara immediately turned to look at Mon-El as if he put the sun in the sky. Lena suddenly felt completely exhausted. She looked down at her shoes as she made a hasty exit, accidentally brushing shoulders with Kara on the way out.

 

Kara did nothing.

 

But her mother was here to save her, supposedly. That was something, possibly. She never knew if she could really be off-guard with Lillian and be safe simultaneously.

 

As they walked to complete their escape, Lena’s mind immediately went back to Kara. She shouldn’t have been so disappointed. She wasn’t dating Kara. In fact, Kara was most certainly dating someone that was the complete _opposite_ of Lena, so there was no way she would ever even have a chance, if that was Kara’s type.

 

Plus, there’s the whole fact that Lena had known that Kara was Supergirl for months, now, and Kara _still_ hadn’t informed her, herself. Every time they had another intimate moment—both with Kara and Supergirl—Lena would start thinking, _this is it. She’s going to tell me_. But she had been left disappointed every time.

 

Sometimes, she considered simply confessing to Kara that she knew; God knew the poor girl needed one less secret to—“What are you doing, Mother?” The words tumbled out of her mouth before she could control them, but her stomach was rolling intensely again as she was transported back to Earth without warning.

 

“Humans only, dear,” Lillian replied, before contacting Alex and telling her it was okay to fire the positron cannon that would evaporate the Daxamite Mothership… and everyone on it.

 

It took Lena a moment to process the words. She felt as if all the breath had left her, as if she were going to implode with emotion—anger at her mother’s prejudice, longing for Kara, anxiety for her safety… But Kara would figure something out. Supergirl always survived, even when it wouldn’t seem as if Kara Danvers could. She prayed she would find a way out of this, as well.

 

Her heart skipped as someone else was transported to the warehouse. When only Mon-El appeared, however, all her breath left her with a shrill, “Where’s Supergirl?”

 

“Supergirl stayed up there!” Mon-El said. Lena had never wanted to throttle him more severely.

 

But then the cannon _itself_ exploded. And well, Lena went a bit numb after that. She didn’t remember much about how she got to her apartment, past the paparazzi and up the elevator; but she was somehow aware enough to strip out of the red dress, scrub her skin clean under a scalding hot shower, find clean clothes, and pour three glasses of whiskey.

 

Eventually, she stopped downing each drink in one go and took a glass to the couch. As she sat down, she noticed that obnoxious red mocking her from her peripheral vision. She studied it harshly, as it now lay rumpled on the floor. It was useless, now. It had no power over her. Lena narrowed her eyes as she started to contemplate whether to donate the dress to charity, sell it for money to use as a donation to charity, or burn it.

 

A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts, and her mother, of all people, stepped through. Half-drunk and heartbroken, she only had about 12% control on what she said, for a while. But once Lillian proposed her idea for the lead dispenser…

 

This was the second time Lillian had been kind to Lena in a row, but she still couldn’t fully trust her. After all, she had tried to get Kara vaporized. She didn’t really care about how Lena felt.

 

However… it _was_ a good idea.

 

Of course, this meant that Lena had to see Kara again, very soon—much sooner, in fact, than she really was comfortable with. But she wanted to make sure that she was giving full disclosure, lest she be suspected as the villain once again. So, she and her mother met with Superman and Supergirl to tell them about their idea for the device.

 

Seeing Kara was difficult, extremely so. She looked exhausted, and that crinkle looked like it might have become permanent. Lena’s heart ached for her, even more so when she saw the moment Kara realized that she might have to sacrifice Mon-El for the sake of the planet. Her jealousy at Kara’s feelings for him was dampened down by the incredibly uncomfortable feeling of causing Kara pain.

 

Kara told them to go ahead in developing the device, though. Lena wanted so badly to reach forward and grasp Kara’s arm in comfort—but she wasn’t Kara right now. She was Supergirl, and Lena Luthor, as Kara knew her, would not reach out to Supergirl like that. So, she resisted the urge, feeling sick at the entire situation.

 

Something in her gut told her to make sure only Kara could switch on the lead device, and she was proud of her instincts for a moment when Lillian tried to activate it before they had planned. Always so hasty. It was one of her few predictable traits. Lena fought hard to hide a smirk at the small win. She would take it, though.

 

It’s unfortunate, Lena thought, that Kara ended up having to use the device, after all. As much as she loathed the frat boy out of jealousy, he didn’t deserve this—and Kara most definitely did not. Kara could never do anything to deserve such heartbreak; Lena was sure of it.

 

She desperately wanted to reach out to her over the next week, but she had no clue how to do so. What does one say to their best friend/love interest who just lost their slightly-emotionally-abusive significant other because he was part of a race of aliens that were trying to take over the world? Eventually, she decided that she would let Kara have some space.

 

However, the day after she made this decision, Agent Danvers stopped by her office (Lena had returned to work the day after the entire fiasco, of course). She looked almost nervous as she took the offered seat in front of Lena’s desk. “How can I help you, Agent Danvers?” she started. “I’ve already given my statements to the relevant departments regarding the… Daxamites.” Her voice had caught ever-so-slightly before the name of the alien race that had kidnapped her. She loathed the way it still affected her so.

 

“Oh, no,” Alex replied with an awkward laugh, “that’s not what—um, I’m here on more… personal business?” Lena raised an eyebrow, relaxed back in her chair, and motioned for the elder Danvers to continue. “It’s about Kara.”

 

Lena sat forward immediately, at that. “Is she all right?” She almost cringed at the slightly desperate tone in her voice, but Alex didn’t point it out.

 

“No, yeah, she’s fine! Well, I mean… I guess it really depends on how you define ‘fine…’”

 

Lena held back a huff. “Alex, what’s going on with Kara?”

 

Alex seemed to deflate in front of her. “Well, you know that she was dating that Daxamite, Mon-El… who kind of ended up having to leave the planet. And I’m pretty sure she’s told you some things about their relationship, which is—er, _was_ —pretty, uh, turbulent, to be quite honest. So, she’s just kind of… lost?”

 

Alex leaned forward with her elbows on her knees. She ran a hand through her hair and finally met Lena’s gaze. Lena held back a flinch at the open way in which Alex was looking at her, the high-intensity emotions making her uncomfortable.

 

Alex sighed a bit before continuing. “You’re… the only other one who was there, with her, with…” _Him._ She didn’t have to say it, but she gestured vaguely off to the side, anyway. Lena nodded to show her understanding. “So, I think you’re really the only one who she’ll be willing to talk to, right now.”

 

Lena felt the beginnings of a blush coming on. She sat back a bit in her chair, opposing Alex’s stature. She shook her head. “She hasn’t reached out to me once. I’m not sure you’re right with this.”

 

Alex rolled her eyes. “Kara is… such a giving person that she never wants to burden anybody else with her problems. She has a really hard time asking people for help.” It made sense, Lena realized. Who else could be so selfless to become Supergirl? “But I promise you. I know her. You’re her best shot at healing, right now.”

 

Lena bit her lip in thought, swiveling back and forth in her chair a bit. “I wouldn’t even know what to say, or how to behave… whether to text her or call her, or…” Her brain was kind of going into overdrive, short-circuiting at the thought of seeing Kara before she had fully processed how to feel about her.

 

“Honestly,” Alex interrupted, “all you have to do is show up at her apartment around at least a vague resemblance of a dinner time, with at least five cartons of takeout, and she’ll either eat it all in one bite, collapse crying into your arms gratefully, or kiss you.” She gave a light chuckle at her joke, but Lena had to force herself not to choke at the image.

 

“Five cartons of takeout. Got it. Wait.” She leaned forward again, palms flat on the desk in front of her. “What kind of takeout? Chinese? Italian? Thai? Pizza?” She had only been to Kara’s apartment to hang out a mere handful of times, and it had definitely been a while since their last get-together. Lena could feel herself becoming increasingly frazzled.

 

“Literally anything, Lena. You know Kara. You’ve seen her eat.” Alex laughed more openly this time, which helped Lena let out a more genuine chuckle in response. “So, are you down?” She was much more relaxed, now that Lena had become decidedly less tense.

 

Lena said, “Yes, of course,” before she gave it a single thought. It didn’t stop there, either; words that she couldn’t stop just kept tumbling out of her mouth. “I’ll go over to her apartment tonight, then.” Her heart raced as the reality sunk in.

 

“Okay.” Alex smiled widely. “That’s great. Thank you, Lena. I really appreciate it. And, um,” she shifted in her seat, “I also wanted to know… how are you? I mean, are you processing everything okay? Did you need someone to talk to?”

 

Lena immediately thought of the glasses of whiskey she’d been looking forward to drowning herself in that night. She didn’t know how to respond, but Alex continued talking with a kind, serious tone.

 

“I know we’re not close, or anything, but it appears that our lives are going to be intertwined in some way, no matter what. I’d like to be your friend. I guess what I’m trying to say,” she jokingly rolled her eyes at herself as she smiled, “is that I’m here if you need me.” Alex tucked some of her red-brown hair behind her ear, in a move that instantly reminded Lena of Kara.

 

Honestly? Lena had no clue how to act in response to such open kindness. She had fumbled her way through these kinds of situations before, with Kara, but for now, she was at a complete loss for what to say.

 

But Alex didn’t seem to mind. Her eyes shined with understanding. She knew about Lena’s relationship with her mother, how she had never been given kindness without the expectation of something in return. It was clear that she was being patient and letting Lena work through her emotions to say what she wanted to say.

 

Lena’s heart felt… fuller.

 

“I…” Lena coughed to clear her throat a bit. “I think it goes without saying that I greatly appreciate the offer, Alex. And I would truly love to be your friend, as well.” She found a smile slowly growing on her face at the prospect. “I, um… I’ve been coping. Probably not in the healthiest of ways,” she looked down at her fidgeting hands, “but I’m… managing. It was definitely a… difficult experience.” She looked back up to Alex with a shrug and a hint of a smile.

 

Alex hummed, mirroring Lena’s posture. “It was… a very emotional time. Nights are hard. If you ever find yourself in need of some company,” she said as she pulled out a business card, writing her personal number on the back of it, “feel free to call me, any time. It helps to talk about what happened with someone who shared in the experience, sometimes. I’m sure Kara would love to talk with you too, though. It’s completely up to you, but here.” She handed the card to Lena, who took it with a hint of astonishment.

 

The Danvers sisters were like no one else Lena had ever met.

 

“Thank you, Alex,” she said softly, with as much genuineness as she could inflect in her words. “This really means… so much to me. Thank you.” She looked up at Alex’s blurry figure to realize that her eyes were starting to tear up. She hastily blinked the wetness away and smiled openly at the agent in front of her.

 

“It’s really no problem, Lena. I should let you get back to work, but I mean it—call me any time.” She smiled again as she stood, but paused a bit before she moved away. “Um… you’re probably used to this from my sister, but—can I hug you?”

 

A laugh escaped Lena’s throat before she even realized it was there. She found herself standing and walking around her desk, into Alex Danvers’s open arms.

 

Honestly, it wasn’t _quite_ as nice as one of Kara’s hugs, but it was wonderful all the same.

 

Work was a blur after Alex left. She’d been so distracted about going to see Kara for dinner that she didn’t really remember doing anything else besides telling Jess to free up her schedule beyond five o’clock that evening. The next thing she knew, it was 6:30, and she was carrying two bags containing a massive amount of pot-stickers and other assorted Chinese foods down the hall to Kara Danvers’s apartment.

 

Her heart was beating rapidly. When Kara opened the door almost immediately after Lena knocked, she wondered if the Kryptonian had been able to hear it pounding against her chest.

 

“Lena! Hi!” Kara said, looking slightly bewildered to see her, but smiling widely nonetheless. “What are you doing here? I mean, not that you’re not welcome here, of course—come in!” She waved her in, continuing to ramble as she did so. “You’re welcome here any time, I hope you know that—well, I mean I guess you _do_ know that, since you came over right now without asking—which is totally okay! I love that you came! Honestly, I—”

 

“Kara,” Lena interrupted gently. She could feel the adoring smile on her face, that same stupid one she got when Kara showed up on the Daxamite ship. “I honestly just wanted to see you. I’ve missed you, and a lot has happened… I just wanted your company. Obviously, I’ve brought compensation-slash-bribery, as well.” She held up the bags of takeout, which Kara scrambled to take for her.

 

“Oh, trust me,” Kara replied as she set the food down and went about grabbing forks, “while food is always accepted and appreciated, bribery to spend time with you is never necessary.” Kara paused after she seemed to have gotten all of the necessary equipment. She took a quick, deep breath that moved her shoulders as she stood and fully met Lena’s gaze. She smiled softly before opening her arms, and Lena gratefully fell into them.

 

Honestly, there was nothing like a hug from Kara Danvers to make her feel both vulnerable and invincible simultaneously. She could feel herself practically melt into the embrace, her heart calming against Kara’s strong chest. Kara had her right hand between her shoulder blades, and her left hand was slowly, softly, comfortingly moving up and down her lower back.

 

She wished she could have this every day.

 

Eventually—probably after longer than what would normally be appropriate—Kara released Lena from the warmth of her arms. She looked down at Lena with a soft smile. “Would you want to watch something while we eat? Or we could talk and catch up a bit?” she asked as she started setting the boxes out by the couch.

 

Lena’s heart started to quicken again at the prospect of talking—any time she talked to Kara, it seemed that she spilled her emotions out all over the floor. She would rather not take over the night like that quite yet, not when she truly had missed Kara’s healing presence and company. So, she followed Kara to the couch and suggested that Kara pick out a movie for them to watch.

 

Halfway through the movie, however, Lena noticed that Kara wasn’t even looking at the screen; she was just staring at some point in space in front of her. She reached out and touched a hand to Kara’s shoulder, ever-so-gently.

 

The superhero didn’t jump, but she did turn to face Lena very quickly. “Yes?”

 

“Are you okay?” Lena asked before worrying her lip. “Of course, considering the recent events, you’re most likely _not_ okay.” Lena sighed at herself, withdrawing her hand. “I mean to say—how have you been? I’ve wanted to check in on you for a while, but I didn’t quite know how.”

 

Kara simply stared at her for a moment, before her face slowly crumpled as a sob escaped. Lena reached out again immediately, bringing Kara close to her and holding her tightly as she cried into her chest.

 

When her sobs died down, Lena didn’t stop rubbing her hand over Kara’s arm or holding her in place. She felt them both relax into each other. It was… content.

 

“Thank you,” Kara nearly whispered, her voice hoarse from crying.

 

“It’s no bother at all, Kara,” Lena assured her. “You’ve been there for me countless times. I think it only makes sense that I be here for you, as well. Besides,” she cleared her throat a bit, causing Kara to shift so that she could see her face better while still laying against her, “I’ve been… struggling with some of these events, as well. I think, maybe, we could be there for each other, right now.” It came out as more of a question, but Kara was smiling at her, so it couldn’t have been too bad.

 

“That would be perfect, Lena. Honestly, you’re about the only person I can fully tolerate seeing right now. I can’t even be around Alex for too long before I get… tense and agitated. But with you, well….” She smiled before snuggling back into her embrace with Lena.

 

She _had_ to hear the way Lena’s heart was fluttering, even without using super-hearing.

 

Speaking of superpowers…

 

“I know you’re Supergirl,” came out in a whisper before she could stop it. Apparently, some part of her had decided that she was going to confess her knowledge of Kara’s alter ego today. It would have been nice if the rest of her had been given a warning.

 

Kara’s head shot up off of Lena’s chest. “Wait, what?” she said with a forced scoff. She waved her hand through the air. “Lena, come on.”

 

Lena stared at her flatly before reaching forward and yanking down the column of buttons on her shirt, parting them to put the Supergirl emblem on full display. Kara was left agape for a long moment.

 

“I’ve known for months now, Kara,” Lena confessed gently. “I was waiting for you to tell me, but after almost losing you, I—” Crap. Here she was again, drowning the floor in her word vomit. “I knew that I just had to be as truthful with you as possible, to have the best relationship with you that I could possibly have before something happens to take it all away.” She rolled her eyes at herself before looking down at her hands. “I’m trying to stop holding everybody that cares for me at arm’s length.”

 

Kara didn’t say anything. Lena saw her glance over to the television, where the credits of the movie were rolling. Kara turned the television and DVD player off before turning to Lena and finally speaking. “It’s late. Do you want to stay over tonight?”

 

At the mention, Lena couldn’t stop a yawn from stretching her mouth open. Kara giggled and continued, “Yeah, you’re tired. Let me get you something more comfortable and less tear-stained to wear. I don’t mind sleeping on the couch, but I get the feeling that…” she paused, causing Lena’s breath to stop as well. Kara bit her lip and sighed. “I think we both might sleep a bit better with someone else next to us. Don’t you think?” She fidgeted with her glasses as she waited for a response.

 

Honestly? The offer sounded absolutely wonderful. Sleeping with Kara next to her would probably make her wake up feeling amazing. She felt a bit of guilt at not sharing her feelings for Kara, as well—as if she were taking advantage of her by accepting her offer. But, honestly, Kara had offered, and Lena would never do anything that Kara was uncomfortable with.

 

“I would greatly appreciate it, Kara. Thank you,” she finally responded, softer than she normally would. She saw a warmness cover Kara’s expression at the sound of a message meant for her ears only.

 

Soon, Lena had changed into a pair of Kara’s sleeping pants, which hung low on her hips and past her feet, and an oversized t-shirt Kara claimed had magical powers.

 

It smelled like her.

 

They got into bed once Kara turned the lights off, facing away from each other. Lena was suddenly surrounded with that same smell of _Kara_ , and she wished she could stay here every night.

 

She heard Kara turn over behind her. “Hey, Lena?” she said softly, as if Lena could have fallen asleep so quickly.

 

Lena turned over to face Kara, in return. “Yes, Kara?” she replied, just as softly.

 

In the darkness, Kara was just barely outlined in the silver-blue moonlight peeking through the window blinds. Her glasses were off, but Lena still saw Kara Danvers. And she was absolutely beautiful.

 

Then Kara lightly placed a hand on Lena’s jaw, catching her completely off guard. It was the most intimate touch Lena had received from her to date. It took her breath away.

 

Kara stroked her thumb over Lena’s skin before continuing. “I want you to know that I love you. _So_ much. And if it hadn’t been for…” she paused, closed her eyes, and shook her head. Lena placed her own hand over Kara’s to hold it in place and show that she understood what she meant. _Mon-El_. “…well, who knows what could have happened by now with us. But now, things got so… _so_ messed up, and I just wanted to tell you that you shouldn’t wait for me.”

 

Lena was extremely confused. A roller coaster of emotions ran through her at the mini-speech Kara gave. She gripped Kara’s hand tighter, but the superhero was still talking.

 

“I don’t want you to wait for me to get my head together and waste your time on me. I just want you to do whatever makes you happy. Okay?” She looked at Lena with her eyes shining gray in the moonlight.

 

“Of course,” Lena whispered with another squeeze to Kara’s hand on her jaw, “but, just so you know, I’d wait forever for you and still be happy just to be your friend.” She gave a small smile, which Kara immediately returned.

 

Kara shifted to press their foreheads together, and Lena could feel the pull of her lulling her to sleep. They brought their hands down off of Lena’s face to meet between them, their feet tangled slightly at the other end of the bed.

 

Of course, it was the best night’s sleep Lena had ever gotten.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed it! Kudos and comments are greatly appreciated!


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